Swimming with the Fish
by Jumofi of the Mad Hare
Summary: In the small town of Iwatobi, fate brings five girls to the swim club and its members. The dandere, the American fresh meat, the tsundere, the explorer, and the princess. How will their year turn out? Mio Nanami lived in a world of her own since she was little, and now aspires to fulfill her mother's dream at Samezuka Academy. Will reuniting with Rin change her dream, or not?


Chapter One:

The ocean...is beyond terrifying. One moment being in the water could be the most fun anyone could have, but then the next it could mean the last for anyone daring to challenge it. It almost took my childhood friend, and yet I visit the beach every day trying to explore the world below. My mother had the same piqued interest but between the two of us, I was the only one still able to see it. Ever since that day she rode that boat to catalogue the local fish, Aunt Hiroki took me in. Dad was on business and probably still is. Who knows...

It was quiet this morning as I walked down the shore. I couldn't hear a peep from the town even though this was usually the time where businessmen would get up to go to work early. Everyone else must be dreading the start of the school year.

I wish I could dive in the water like I could in the summer, but the locals advised not to open the beach to the public until it was warmer in the weather. It was probably best either way because the fish don't come until the early summer. They were the only thing that mattered to me when it came to the ocean. Or anything, really. They were much more colorful and livelier than anyone in town. To me the fish are bored with just swimming around, and that's why I want to visit them. If I keep them company, then they give back in return.

"What're you doing this early in the morning, Nana-onee?"

I looked to the side. My cousin, Gou, was yawning and stretching his arms out.

"I should ask you the same thing, Kou."

"It's Gou, dangit!"

I smiled at him like I always did. Compared to the townspeople, Gou had too much energy. He could be a fish, if only he didn't have a perverted streak for women's swimsuit magazines.

"So, what're you doing? I thought you start class at Samezuka today."

"I do, but not until eight."

"It's six in the morning."

"Then I have more time to sit right here."

"No! You gotta go back or a teacher will catch you breaking a rule."

"There's no school rule that says that I-"

"C'mon, sis."

I sighed and said, "Fine..fine. But why are you out here so early? You didn't come to spy on me in a swimsuit, did you?"

"N-no! That's just gross! Mom told me to come out and check on you."

"She knows I'm out here too?"

"She can see you from the kitchen window."

I checked behind us and saw Aunt Hiroki mouthing to me, "Get to class," from the window. I needed a different spot to sit in the morning...

Gou had convinced me to go back to my dorm after that. Like we usually did, we tapped fists to wish each other luck. He had to go to Iwatobi, so I hoped the girls there would need that luck. Hopefully he wouldn't be as much of a nuisance to them, even though he could've gone to Samezuka as well to avoid trouble. If he would've taken the test he would have definitely passed, but his reason not to try for it was because there was no girls' swim team, let alone girls altogether. Well, he would be raging to break in if I'd told him that Samezuka had announced a trial year for co-ed education, and had no issue starting a swim club for girls at the beginning of the year;my friend Kiyoko signing up right away to be a member. I'll just let him keep believing it doesn't exist until his tiny brain finally catches up.

When I jogged back to the dorms there weren't any teachers to catch me. I snuck into my room thinking that I had gotten away with it, but then I found something much worse.

"Why do you keep sneaking out so early in the morning, Senpai?"

It was Kiyoko. And she was a light sleeper.

"I went to the bathroom, Kiyoko."

"In a tracksuit?"

"Well, I had to 'jog' around to find one."

"This isn't funny, Senpai. I don't want you being punished for sneaking out."

"It's fine. I only go out to get fresh air, and then I come back."

"Well, you and I know that but the teachers don't. They assume the worst if they catch others breaking rules."

I understood that she was concerned for me, but I didn't like that I had to be separated from the beach. It was my own world that I couldn't live without. It was what I had.

"I get the message, Kiyoko. Now let me go back to sleep."

"Senpai!"

I laid in bed and tried to sleep as she kept shaking me saying, "Senpai! This isn't the time to sleep! Nanami-senpai!"

"Nanami-senpai! It's already 7:30! Please get up!"

The next thing I knew I woke up with Kiyoko yelling in my ear. When she said '7:30', I immediately looked at the clock. She was right.

"Senpai!"

"I'm up! I'm up!"

I dashed to dresser as I tried ripping off my clothes quickly. Kiyoko looked away while I dressed (for some odd reason she did and it was to "give me my own privacy". I don't understand..we're both girls..)

"Nanami-senpai, I told you not to fall asleep!"

"I get it. Next time I'll just-"

"Senpai!"

"Agh..what?!"

"Your hair!"

"What about m-agh!"

When I looked into the mirror I saw a hairy beast snarling at me on top of my head. I jumped back from the reflection, running my fingers through my hair to tame the nest. Kiyoko walked up to me and ran my comb over it.

"Nanami-senpai, you should take better care of your hair. If you leave it curled in a bed-head way, then it'll knot and tangle together."

"Oh, it's always curled like that. I don't care much now."

"Then how about cutting it?"

"No...I wanted it to stay long."

"So that means you do care?"

"Ugh, Kiyoko-"

Fifteen minutes had gone by. I was seriously going to be late!

I hurried out the door as Kiyoko shouted my name. There wasn't any time to lose for me so I kept going. As I made it to the courtyard with less than ten minutes to go I headed for the left door on the first building I saw. I heard Kiyoko still calling my name from one end of the yard. Without thinking I stopped to ask her, "What?!" when I bumped right into someone else and fell back on my butt. A cascade of bags and papers rained down on us, my bag landing on the others' lap. My hand reached out to grab the bag while I tried to apologize. But then I froze as I saw the person's grumpy expression and pointed teeth bared in a frown.

"Are you..Rin?" I asked.

"What are you...huh, Nanami?"

"You remember me?"

"Well, I'm gonna remember your bag."

I laughed and said, "Sorry about that."

Rin stuck his arm out and dropped the strap of the bag into my hands. The tone in his voice from before made it sound like our reuniting didn't seem to faze him, or that it wasn't worth his time. That's not how he was back then when we were kids. Was it my imagination or did he seem more irritable?

"Nanami-senpai!"

Kiyoko had just arrived on time to find Rin and I sorting through our papers on the ground. She came up to me and asked, "Senpai, did you bump into someone?"

"Yeah..what were you calling out to me for?"

"You forgot your reading glasses, Senpai."

She held out my glasses' case to me as I stood up. Rin looked at Kiyoko through glaring eyes as I reached out for the case. Kiyoko shook in fright as she met his gaze, nearly crawling behind me to hide. Before I said anything Kiyoko told me, "Senpai,-please-remember-to-meet-me-at-the-pool-this-afternoon. Have-a-nice-day!"

Then she darted off like a cartoon character in the other direction. I turned to Rin then replied, "Was it necessary to scare off my roommate?"

"Huh?"

"Ugh, never mind. I gotta go."

"Wait, where're you going?"

"To Chemistry with Mr. Hirashi."

"Then follow me."

"W-wait, what?"

Rin headed for the tunnel ahead without stopping to answer me. I hesitantly followed after him calling his name. After a while I gave up and kept a steady pace with him. It turned out that we shared a class together when the two of us came in at the last second. Our teacher, Mr. Hirashi, never liked anyone late or arriving right before the bell. So he came up with an odd idea to keep students from being late.

"What's this?! I have two late stu-DENTS!"

On instinct I ducked down to save myself from the chalk piece hurtling towards us, Rin taking the shot to the forehead. I headed for my desk before Mr. Hirashi could throw his next piece, but Rin just walked quietly into the classroom with his hands in his pockets.

"Get to your-DESK!" the teacher exclaimed.

Again Rin was struck in the head by a piece of chalk. The others laughed and some told him, "Bad luck, Rin," and, "wait to mess around with your girlfriend until after class, Matsuoka." He simply sneered at them then sat down.

" 'Yo-sha', "Hirashi-sensei began, "Now that everyone's here, I can finally teach you snots!

" 'Min-ea' ! Look up at the board!"

I took out my notebook for his presentation. The teacher seemed to ramble on about compound mixtures, then to something else about chemicals. Naturally I dozed off after he drifted from the main topic. I looked out the window towards the ocean too far from here, barely visible with the buildings as tall as they were. _Once summer comes, I won't have to wait anymore. I can finally dive into the secret bank I found years ago. The bank where all of the colorful fish meet..._

" 'Oi', Mio."

" 'Hai'!"

For a moment it sounded like Hirashi-sensei with his deep voice calling out to me, but I looked up and saw Rin holding a book behind his head, his tired eyes poised at me.

"Oh, it's just you..."

"Wha-ugh, just get up. We're partners in the lab today."

"Really?"

"If you were paying attention, you'd hear that."

"Well, excuse me, princess..." I mumbled.

He clicked his tongue at me then walked to the lab station in the corner. I followed him and his directions while setting up the lab. The whole time I listened to him talk and watched as he moved around. Over the years he's become less open, especially with people close to him like me, and less energetic. Because he stayed a certain distance from me and kept standing stiff, it was easy to tell that he had changed. But back then he was always hanging around his friends and smiling, which was what I admired about him. But now with this attitude change and stoic-like expressions from him, I couldn't tell if he were the same Rin as before. If only I could open him up...or if that was possible now to do so...

While we were waiting for some of the chemicals to react, I turned to him and asked, "So how come you never said anything to me at the entrance ceremony?"

"Didn't go.."

"I saw you two rows ahead of me."

Again he frowned and clicked his tongue.

"Are any of your friends here?"

"Huh?"

"Those boys you used to play with. What were their names...uh, Ha-Haku and Maka?"

"Makoto...and Haru."

He turned his head the other way and looked out the window. I tried looking in the same direction, but he noticed this and demanded, "What?"

"I thought you saw something out the window. Or that you're distracted."

Rin grumbled. It seemed that he must have had a bad experience with his friends the way he avoided the topic. I probably should change the conversation.

"And what about you?"

"What do you mean?" I answered.

"You. Have you seen your friend Misuzu?"

That was below the belt...

"I haven't heard from her, no.."

"Then I wouldn't ask about Haru."

I took my eyes off of the test tube and glared right back at him. His distasteful, frown-upon-thee-look had made me feel as though I were just scum...this is why I don't like to talk to others. There are some that are just bland, colorless people,...and then there are people like Rin who have too much of a passionate spirit who repel me.

"All I wanted to know was if you kept in touch with them."

"Yeah, well, I'm not."

"Is there something wrong?"

"Like what?"

"Did you have a fight with your friends?"

"Why would you want to know?"

"Because it-"

Suddenly a sharp burning sensation washed over my hand. I looked down and saw the chemical spilling out of the test tube over the table and seeping under my palm. Rin called out to Hirashi-sensei as he grabbed my arm and forced me to walk to the door. While Rin was cursing under his breath in the hallway I bit my lip just to keep from screaming. The pain was tolerable enough but moving my hand or twitching it would feel like a thousand needles pricking me. I didn't want to cry...Mom always said to be a big girl and smile or laugh at the pain..

"Mio, hurry up and wash it."

"M-hmm..."

The nurse was out when we stepped in, so Rin took over to help me clean the wound. I went to the sink and turned the handle. I nearly screamed out loud when the cold water hit the burn.

"I thought I told you to put gloves on before the lab...

"You done over there?"

"If you'd give me a second I'd actually wash it," I hissed.

Turning back the handle then grabbing a paper towel I went back to Rin who held out ointment from the cabinet to me. He stood back and watched me tend to the burn like I needed to be supervised. My palm was swollen and he was just sitting there! Is he really that daft?!

I sat on one of the beds coiling the bandage around my hand. The only thing running through my head and was how intolerable Rin had become, that is, until he pulled my hand out to him and unwrapped it.

"What're y-"

"You're not doing it right. Just hold still."

Everything became quiet when he wrapped my hand. His fingers lingering around my wrist, and I found myself staring right at them. Then I just laughed aloud.

"What's so funny?"

"You wrapping my hand. The last time this happened you cut your finger and I put a band-aid on it."

"E-"

He remembered it. The expression on his face made it clear that he knew, and he slumped onto the bed across from me.

"You..remember, right?"

"Unfortunately, yeah."

"Well, sorry if it's unfortunate for you, but I actually like my childhood!"

"All of it?"

"Huh?"

"That day. You're saying that you're fine with it now?"

"You..."

That day never left my mind even when I wanted to forget it. My friend Kasumi swum out too far into the water, and when she started drowning I...

"Don't you dare say anything like that!" I snapped.

"Have it your way."

Rin walked out of the nurse's office without another word. I felt like exploding in anger at him, and I felt angry at myself. Why couldn't I say anything back? Why did he have the last word?

I wiped away the few tears that rolled onto my lips. Me..crying..how pathetic.

"Senpai! How did you injure your hand?"

Back at the dorms after school I laid in bed staring at my wrapped hand. Kiyoko found me, of course, and began running around the room asking me too many questions at the same time.

"It's nothing. It was just a lab accident."

"I knew something had happened when you didn't come to the pool. But-"

"Go to sleep, Aika," I groaned.

When I used her first name Kiyoko knew that I was serious. So she sat at the desk and quietly did her homework, looking back at me from time to time. I rolled onto my side and held my hand out. The bandage was tight, but comfortable to move around with. The memory of his cut and my giving him a Band-aid suddenly came to me.

_"It's okay, Matsu," I said._

_ "Agh, it hurts though!"_

_ "Here, take this."_

_ I wrapped the band-aid around his finger with a Hello Kitty decoration on it. He grinned at me with his pearly, baby shark teeth and told me, "Looks like I owe you a favor now."_

_ "Really? A favor?"_

_ "Yeah!"_

_ "Okay! But I don't have one right now."_

_ "That's okay. You can redeem it later!"_

_ "Yay!"_

_ Rin took my hand and walked me down the street. I gripped his hand while a smile formed on my lips. I was so happy..._

_ Well, I'm not happy now, _I thought.

The only good thing was that I had some leverage on him, and yet I still didn't know what that favor would be.

I looked out the bedroom window to find the moon, but his figure in the lamplight popped up instead. He jogged around the park in a jersey, a little ponytail poking from the back of his head. I stuck my tongue at him and switched the lights off.

"Looks like I got caught up with a shark in the water..."

"What was that, Senpai?"

"Nothing. Goodnight, Aika."


End file.
